Bianca

Only the first short story of the collection, Bianca, is translated, so this is a review for that story and not the other ones. I'll have to read the rest once I'm more proficient at Japanese! Bianca is only 16 pages, but it's short story format is part of its theme, as it's about the immense impact people we spend little time with can have on us. Indeed, Clara only knew Bianca for a few days when they were children, but she's still reminiscing and reflecting on her well into her adulthood. We also see how adults keeping things from children to safeguard them, or simplybecause they think children can't comprehend it doesn't do anything other than hurt everyone involved even more. The way the story has a double plotline, with the adults and Clara and Bianca helps emphasise the differences and similarities in their forms of communication despite the age difference between the characters in both plotlines. The character art is also gorgeous.